DiVosta plans $150M subdivision for PB farmland

A plan to develop one of the last parcels of unincorporated land in Palm Beach County that was once used for farming is up for a local council vote this week, the Palm Beach Post reported.

A company managed by Otto “Buz” DiVosta wants to build a $150 million gated community of 350 homes, a clubhouse, gas station, restaurant and 150,000 square feet for biotech at a neighboring proposed project.

“We are taking a dead piece of property and turning into a viable project that will generate taxes, create good jobs and bring commercial development needed on the west side of town,” Nadir Salour, project representative for the 260-acre development on Indiantown Road, told the Post.

The project has drawn concerns from residents who say the development, which DiVosta is calling Lakewood, would pollute the nearby Loxahatchee River and will worsen traffic.

Hawkeye, a 1 million-square-foot proposed biotech park, would be a mile down Indiantown Road from Lakewood. No date has been set for the council to consider the Hawkeye plan submitted by developer Ron Pertnoy, according to the newspaper.

“Add Lakewood and the Hawkeye development, and congestion will be even worse,” Bud Zisson, a Jupiter resident, told the Post.

The Lakewood land was originally used for farming and cattle grazing, and dangerous chemicals remain in the soil, according to a May 9 report from the town planning and zoning staff, the paper reported.

Salour was reported as describing the criticisms of the Lakewood plan as unfounded. [Palm Beach Post] — Emily Schmall